Vehicle recall 79V262000 · December 18, 1979
Mercury Cougar, Ford Fairmont and 2 more models
The involved vehicles do not conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems".
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- The involved vehicles do not conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 105, "hydraulic brake systems". Rear axle assemblies intended for other vehicles may have been installed in the involved vehicles. The wheel cylinders may not be the correct size. This could affect braking performance.
- Remedy
- Dealer will replace any incorrect wheel cylinders without charge to owner.
- Notes
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: service brakes; rear brake cylinders.consequences of defect: this condition could result in increased stoppingdistances, which could lead to a vehicle accident.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 79V262000
- Reported to NHTSA
- December 18, 1979
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Owner notification
- February 20, 1980
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 3,000
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Drum › Wheel cylinders
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Fairmont (1980): 1980
- Ford Thunderbird (1980): 1980
- Mercury Cougar (1980): 1980
- Mercury Zephyr (1980): 1980
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.